Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey

 

Ngati Hako, Te Aupouri, Ngati Porou, Irish

Born: 1965, Aotearoa/New

Zealand

Resides:

Waiheke Island, New Zealand

 

Chris Bailey’s works, whilst very much influenced by his Maori heritage, carry a strong contemporary feel. His work ranges from body adornment through to larger stone and timber sculptural pieces. Chris is generally recognized for his strong simple forms that have great presence in any setting.  

                                   

With his formal training having been at Auckland University, as part of a BA Majoring in Maori and Cultural Heritage, Chris has been a practicing artist for twenty five years with a long history exhibiting nationally and  more recently seeing him exhibit in San Francis

 

co,  Canada, Tokyo, and Italy in the 53rd Venice Biennale.

 

Chris is represented by:

“The Spirit Wrestler Gallery” in

Vancouver, Canada

.    www.spiritwrestler.com

 

"TOI Gallery " on

Waiheke island, New Zealand

 

“FHE Galleries” in

Auckland, New Zealand

  www.fhegalleries.co.nz

 

Recognition

Three grants received from Creative NZ, NZ Arts Council in both  2005, 2007 and 2009 to develop new collection’s of works .

 

Chris has been recognized by the New Zealand Art Council for his stone work and as such

granted  Toi Iho status which formally recognizes authentic Maori art of a high artistic quality.

 

Commissioned by Creative NZ to produce carved timber seats for the New Zealand Room in collaboration with Katie Lockheart at the 53rd Venice Biennale 2009.

 

Books Featured In:

 

“Te Kahui o Matariki” looking at recognized Maori artists by Penguin Publishing in 2008.

“

Hauraki Gulf

”, 2008

“Important NZ Art Works”, Webbs, 2008

 

Films Featured In

"Chris Bailey - Ringa Whao" 2010 A documentary looking at Chris Bailey's journey to becoming a sculptor

 

Chris’s works are held in private collections in

New Zealand , USA, France, Italy and the UK,

with works also purchased for public presentations by

New Zealand Maritime Museum ,Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa) and the New Zealand Arts Council (Creative NZ)

 

Reviews

Chris Bailey’sfirst  solo show at FHE Galleries Motuaariroa received high acclaim by the public and art critics alike. Speaking of one of the works in the show, Matau in his review, TJ McNamara of the NZ Herald writes, “The shape is stylised, keeping the high polish and the sense of sharp edges but it is also roughened and has been subjected to heat. It combines the polish of utility with the roughness of the earth to form a powerful symbol of our connection with land and sea.” He goes on to say that “There are only seven pieces [in the exhibition] but the combined weight is several tonnes. Each work has taken on the strength of stone and is something special to this land. It is an exceptionally fine exhibition.”

You can view the article by TJ McNamara at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=18&objectid=10520890&pnum=0

 

Selected Exhibitions and Symposiums:       

2011

Headland - Sculpture On the Gulf, Waiheke Island.

2010

Waitakaruru Arboretum and Sculpture Park - Summer sculpture exhibition.

FHE Galleries -  Group exhibition

TOI Gallery - Group exhibition

2009   

Auckland Art Fair, Auckland, New Zealand

Selected as a featured artist to exhibit in the show case Sculpture Court

 

• 53rd Venice Biennale – St MaddalenaChurch, Venice, Italy
• NZ Room. Collaboration with Katie Lockheart. June – November

 

• 6x6 International Timber Carving Symposium, LakeSerraia,  Baselga de Pine, Italy, August 2009
• “Mini Masterworks III” , Spirit Wrestler Gallery , Canada, October

 

2008    “Mana Whenua”, The Lane Gallery , Auckland , March

• “Mini Masterworks” , Spirit Wrestler Gallery , Canada, March
• “Te Kahui o Matariki”, group show and book launch, North Art, Auckland , June
•  “Motuaarairoa” Solo Show, FHE, Auckland, June
• Tiny Treasures, De Young Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, USA, October
• Sculpture Onshore Sculpture Symposium, Takapuna, ,NZ, November

2007    “New Works” exhibition, Waiheke Community Art Gallery , January

•  “Maori Mark” a group show alongside Para Machitt, Robert Jahnke, Arnold Wilson, Fred Graham and D’Arcy Nicholls at “The Wellington Event Centre, Wellington
• “Spirit Wrestler Gallery” Vancouver, Canada, August

2006    “Chris Bailey- New Works, Waiheke Community Art Gallery , January

•  “Art Out There” Exhibition, Waiheke Island, Sculpture in the landscape,
• Creative NZ Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan, November
• “Pacific Edge 2006” The Art Bungalow, Kerikeri, February
• “Taatai Tupuna” Matariki exhibition Waiheke Community Art Gallery, June
• APEC, virtual exhibition, August 2006 – 2007

2005   

• Toi Maori- The Eternal Thread Exhibition, Yerba Buena Centre for Arts, San Francisco, USA, August,
• Te Papa, NZ National Museum Toi Iho Exhibition,June
• “Tau Ranga” exhibition, Tauranga Arts Festival, Baycourt, October
• “Te Wairua o Aotearoa” The Art Bungalow, Kerikeri, May
• “Matariki”, Waiheke Community Art Gallery, June